COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Over 27 lakh people in India get jabbed on April 15, 11.72 crore shots administered so far

From April 1, COVID-19 vaccination was launched for everyone above the age of 45. (Representative image)

As many as 27,30,359 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in India on April 15, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report.

More than 11.72 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country so far. On April 15, 21,70,144 beneficiaries received their first shot and 5,60,215 people were given their second dose. This included healthcare and frontline workers, people aged over 60 and beneficiaries above the age of 45 with or without comorbidities.

The government recently revised the gap between the two doses for the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to six-eight weeks. However, the interval for the second dose of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin remains unchanged.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive on January 16, with healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle getting their first jabs.

The country began the second phase of the vaccination drive from March 1 in which everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities could start getting the vaccine.

From April 1, vaccination was launched for everyone above the age of 45.

Here are key developments related to the COVID-19 vaccination process:

> India's drug regulator will take a decision on applications seeking approval for restricted emergency use of foreign produced vaccines within three working days from the date of submission, the government said on April 15. The Central Drug Authority, CDSCO, will process applications for registration certificates (registration of overseas manufacturing site and product; in this case COVID vaccine) and import license within three working days from the date of approval of restricted use in emergency situation.

> The Editors Guild of India on the day urged the Union government to declare journalists as frontline workers and ensure priority vaccination for them amid a rise in coronavirus cases. In a statement, the Guild said news organisations have been relentlessly covering the pandemic, elections, and other current affairs in an effort to ensure that the flow of news and information to readers continues unabated.

> The Odisha government has demanded at least 25 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine in a single lot from the Centre as it is unable to expedite the ongoing immunisation programme, a minister said. Health and Family Welfare Minister NK Das, in a letter to the central government, said the state is prepared to administer 3 lakh doses daily, but about 2-3 lakh vaccine shots are being allocated to it at a time.

> Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala received the second dose of coronavirus vaccine in Bengaluru on the day. According to a Raj Bhavan communique, nurse Vedha administered Vala the Covishield vaccine under the supervision of Medical Superintendent Dr BR Venkateshaiah at KC General Hospital. Vala got the first shot on March 2.

> A pharmacist at a government health centre was sacked and another suspended for giving anti-rabies shots instead of COVID vaccine to three women in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district.

> Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid hailed India on the day for providing vaccines to other countries to combat the coronavirus pandemic, saying it was an example of how multilateralism and the idea of a "global village" should function.

> SpiceXpress, the cargo arm of SpiceJet airline, signed an agreement with Luxembourg-based B Medical Systems on the day for safe, reliable and temperature-controlled transportation of COVID-19 vaccine across India.

> Nepal's Health Ministry on the day dismissed media reports that some Indian businessmen have received Chinese vaccines against the coronavirus in Kathmandu to be eligible for travelling to China.

Here's the vaccination count in some states:

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